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Abstract:

A system for a renewable source of energy may include a light
concentration device to collect and concentrate sunlight, a light
transmission device to transmit the collected and concentrated sunlight,
and a light receiving device to receive the collected and concentrated
sunlight and to convert the sunlight to heat. The light receiving device
may be a clothes dryer, and the clothes dryer may include a rotating drum
having a window to receive the sunlight. The light receiving device may
be an oven, and the light receiving device may be is used to create light
in a darkened area. The light concentrating device may be a convex lens,
and the light transmitting device may be a fiber-optic cable. The light
transmitting device may be a pipe.

Claims:

1) A system for a renewable source of energy, comprising: a light
concentration device to collect and concentrate sunlight; a light
transmission device to transmit and redirect the collected and
concentrated sunlight; a light receiving device to receive the collected,
redirected and concentrated sunlight and to convert the sunlight to heat.

2) A system for a renewable source of energy as in claim 1, wherein the
light receiving device is a clothes dryer.

3) A system for a renewable source of energy as in claim 2, wherein the
clothes dryer includes a rotating drum having a window to receive the
sunlight.

4) A system for a renewable source of energy as in claim 1, wherein the
light receiving device is an oven.

5) A system for a renewable source of energy as in claim 1, wherein the
light receiving device is used to create light in a darkened area.

6) A system for a renewable source of energy as in claim 1, wherein the
light concentrating device is a convex lens.

7) A system for a renewable source of energy as in claim 1, wherein the
light transmitting device is a fiber-optic cable.

8) A system for a renewable source of energy as in claim 1, wherein the
light transmitting device is a pipe.

Description:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an energy redirecting device and
more particularly to a renewable energy redirecting device.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Renewable and alternative energy sources are playing a greater role
in reducing the dependence on oil as a primary energy source. Wind energy
has played a significant role in generating electrical power that is
applied to the electrical grid. In addition, the use of solar energy in
this same fashion has increased substantially over the past few years.
The use of these and other alternative energy sources will play an
increasingly important role in the future with respect to the sourcing
and distributing of energy.

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 7,711,730 discloses an optical waveguide includes a
substrate, a core formed on the substrate and serving as a passageway for
light, and a metal film, in which at least a portion of the core is
covered with the metal film. This patent is incorporated by reference in
its entirety.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,893 discloses that sunlight is localized at a
solar cell by means of a lens in conjunction with a solar energy trap
with very low losses. The lens is a standard magnifying lens which
concentrates the sunlight to a spot which is a small percentage of the
total area of the lens. The lens is fixed at a tilt angle which is in
accordance with the latitude of the site of the solar collection. The
daily arc of the sun across the face of the lens produces a smooth arc
path of the spot in three dimensional spaces. At or near the smooth arc
in space, a guide which may be a secondary mirror surface or an opening
guides the light into a solar trap. The solar trap is a fully mirrored
enclosed space which permits light to enter but not leave the trap. The
light in the trap is guided to a solar cell within the trap with
reflected and scattered light being absorbed by the solar cell. This
patent is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

SUMMARY

[0005] A system for a renewable source of energy may include a light
concentration device to collect and concentrate sunlight, a light
transmission device to transmit the collected and concentrated sunlight,
and a light receiving device to receive the collected and concentrated
sunlight and to redirect and convert the sunlight to heat.

[0006] The light receiving device may be a clothes dryer, and the clothes
dryer may include a rotating drum having a window to receive the
sunlight.

[0007] The light receiving device may be an oven, and the light receiving
device may be is used to create light in a darkened area.

[0008] The light concentrating device may be a convex lens, and the light
transmitting device may be a fiber-optic cable.

[0009] The light transmitting device may be a pipe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention may be understood by reference to the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a building with a
renewable energy savings device;

[0012]FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a convex lens to be
used with the renewable energy saving device;

[0013]FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a clothes dryer to be used with
the renewable energy saving device;

[0014]FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the clothes dryer to be used with
the renewable energy saving device;

[0015]FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the rotating drum of the clothes
dryer.

[0016]FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of an oven to be used with the
renewable energy saving device;

[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a another side view of the oven;

[0018]FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the optical waveguide of
the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the optical waveguide of
the present invention;

[0020]FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the rotating drum of the
clothes dryer of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the oven to be used with
the renewable energy savings device;

[0022]FIG. 12 illustrates a darkened area to be used with the renewable
energy savings device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] As the energy requirements throughout the world increases,
increasing the energy efficiency is one of many ways to satisfy the
energy requirements. The production of energy from non-renewable sources
should be minimized in order to preserve these non-renewable energy
sources. In consideration of these factors, whenever a natural and
abundant energy source can be utilized, this energy source should be
leveraged in order to provide efficiencies to eliminate non-renewable
sources of energy.

[0024] In particular, the light from the sun (sunlight) has been underused
as an redirected energy source for lighting areas which have been
traditionally lit by energy consuming light bulbs.

[0025] Clothes dryers consume a large amount of energy to heat and dry the
clothing within the clothes dryer. The clothes dryers are operated
frequently especially in large households.

[0026] The present invention may include a renewable energy source 100
which may utilize sunlight from the Sun and channels and redirects it
through a pipeline/waveguide which may include fiber optics or light
absorbing tubes where the sunlight will be transmitted to the light
receiving device which may be a clothes dryer, an oven or a darkened
area. Furthermore since the sunlight may include ultraviolet radiation,
applying the sunlight to a clothes dryer will disinfect the clothes by
utilizing the ultraviolet rays.

[0027]FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 of the present invention and may
include a building 113 which may be a residential building or may be a
commercial building to collect, redirect, utilize and concentrate solar
energy 115. The building 113 will be described as a residential building,
but the teachings are equally applicable to a commercial building. The
building 113 may include a roof 119 to cover an attic 101, and the
building 113 may include a bedroom 107 and a bathroom 103 positioned
under the attic 101 and may form a portion of the upstairs of the
building 113. The upstairs of the building 113 may be positioned over the
downstairs which may include a family room 105 which may be adjacent to a
kitchen 111 which may be adjacent to the utility room 109. Other
configurations are well within the scope of the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 1 additionally illustrates a sunlight collection apparatus
which may be positioned on the roof 119 of the building 113 and may be
movable in order to follow the sun in order to substantially maximize the
sun collection. The sun collection apparatus may include a light
collection device 131 which may be a convex lens as illustrated in FIG.
2. The convex lens may have the focal length set appropriately to the
needs of the heating/illumination of the building 113. The light
collection device 131 may include mirrors to focus the sunlight on the
light collection device 131 which may concentrate and redirect the
sunlight. The light collection device 131 may be connected to a light
passageway or optical waveguide 133 which may transmit and redirect the
concentrated sunlight from the light collection device 131 to the light
receiving device 135 which may be a dryer, a cooking range, a lighting
device to provide illumination or other appropriate device requiring
physical light or heat or a combination. An optical waveguide 133 may
include cores serving as a passageway for light and formed in a
predetermined pattern, and an under cladding layer and an over cladding
layer formed so as to cover the cores. The under cladding layer cores and
an over cladding layer may be formed on a substrate to form the optical
waveguide.

[0029] The refractive index of the above-mentioned cores is made higher
than that of the under cladding layer and the over cladding layer so that
light passing inside the cores does not exit from the cores. The cores,
the under cladding layer and the over cladding layer may be in general
made of a synthetic resin or other appropriate material.

[0030]FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of clothes dryer 301 in accordance
with the teachings of the present invention and illustrates the rotating
drum 303 of the clothes dryer 301. The optical waveguide 133 may extend
through the outer surface of the clothes dryer 301 and may include a
light diffuser 305 to diffuse the concentrated and redirected sunlight
through a window 307 which may be positioned in the sidewall 309 of the
clothes dryer 301. The window 307 may be transparent and formed from
plastic or hardened glass in order to allow the sunlight to be
transmitted through the window 307 to heat the interior of the rotating
drum 303 of the clothes dryer 301 and to radiate the clothes within the
rotating drum 303 of the clothes dryer 301.

[0031]FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the clothes dryer 301 in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention and illustrates
the rotating drum 303 of the clothes dryer 301. The optical waveguide 133
may extend through the outer surface of the clothes dryer 301 and may
include a light diffuser 305 to diffuse the concentrated sunlight through
a window 307 which may be positioned in the sidewall 309 of the clothes
dryer 301. The window 307 may be transparent and formed from plastic or
hardened glass in order to allow the sunlight to be transmitted through
the window 307 to heat the interior of the rotating drum 303 of the
clothes dryer 301 and to radiate the clothes within the rotating drum 303
of the clothes dryer 301.

[0032]FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the rotating drum 303 and
illustrates the windows 307.

[0033]FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of an oven 601 with the optical
waveguide 133 being connected to oven top burner elements 603.

[0034] FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the oven 601 with the optical
waveguide 133 being connected to the internal oven 701.

[0035]FIG. 8 illustrates a first optical waveguide 133 which may be a
fiber optic cable, and FIG. 9 illustrates a second optical waveguide 133
which may be a light transmitting pipe which may be used with the
renewable energy device of the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the rotating drum 303 and
the window 307.

[0038]FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a darkened area 1201 and
lighting device 1203 which are connected to the optical waveguide 133.

[0039] In operation, sunlight enters the light concentration device 131 to
be concentrated and is transmitted by being redirected to the optical
waveguide 133 where the concentrated light is transmitted to the light
receiving device 135. The light receiving device 135 may be a clothes
dryer having a rotating drum with a window to allow the light to reach
the interior of a rotating drum.

[0040] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and
alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of
example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be
understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments
is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed.